Annunciator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

n. HBINEMAN. ANNUNGIATOR.

No'. 56,8'70. 'Patented Jan. 12, 1892.

MZ) f (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. HEINEMANI ANNUNGIATOR.

. Patente-d Jan. 12, 1892.

, Y. Y y S11/wwwa Witness UNrrnn S'rnrns PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID HEINEMAN, OF WAH/NH, INDIANA.

ANNUNClTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,870, dated January 12, 1892.

Application filed March 16, 1891. Serial No. 385,317. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

'c it known that I, DAvID IIEINEMAN, of "Nalin-sh, in the county of Wabash and State of indiana, have linvented certain new and cciful Improvements in Annunciators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in signaling apparatus, and more particularly to an improved annunciator.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved signaling apparatus or annuneiator adapted for various uses, whereby when a button is pressed an answer or certain information or a certain call is displayed. These objects are accomplished by and this invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed ont in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures l, 2, and 3 are diagrammatical views illustrating the use of the invention in hotels and other places. Figs. l and 5 are respectively a front elevation and vertical section of the present construction of electric annunciator. i

The annunciator primarily comprises a series of removable cards provided with means for withdrawing or displaying the same and a series of buttons corresponding with theseries of cards, each button having notice on or in proximity thereto signifying which card will be displayed when the button is pressed. Thus a certain question might be printed on the button and when that button is pressed the answer to this question will appear on the card.

The annunciator Aconsists of the outer o r vertical inclosing ease a. The front of this case is provided with a series of openings l, located at any suitable partof the case, and a series of push-buttons c, corresponding to openings l). The electric bell d is suitably located on or in the case. A vertical swinging levorf is located behind each opening,

and each lever carries a plate j" on its outer end to receive the card which contains the information or other statement it is desired to display, each horizontal series of levers being mounted on a horizontal rodf", as shown. The upper end of eachy plate carried by the lever is provided with the beveled shoulderfZ, and a magnet-armature g is pivoted above each of said plates and provided with a corresponding shoulder fi on its lower end to engage the shoulder of the plate and uphold the plate and lever above the opening for the plate when the armature is in its normal position, as shown, the armature being provided with a suitable spring for holding it away from the magnet h. Each lever and plate is provided with such magnetic holding and dropping mechanism, one plate and its acting mechanism only being shown to avoid confusion of parts. It is evident that when the cir.- euit of a plate is closed its magnetic device will operate and its armature will be drawn in, thereby dropping the plate behind' its opening and displaying theeharacters thereon through the front of the case. Alifting-lever i is mounted on the same rod f4 with each series of said card or plate levers, and the front end of each lever z' carries a horizontal rod fi', located beneath thefrontendsof the series of plate-levers on rod f4, and said rod e" limits the downward movement of the card-levers, and also lifts the same when the lifting-lever is operated. All the lifting-levers of the different series have their rear ends connected by connections j? tov the vertically-movable core j' of the electromagnetic coil j, suitably secured in the lower portion of the case, so that when the circuit including said magnetis closed its coil will be drawn down, thereby rocking all the lifting- 'levers and throwing up their front ends and IOO plates will be pressed together and will spring y to their normal position when the push-bar is released, The first spi-ing 4 of the push-butthe battery through the electro-magnetic act- 'dating zneans 10 of the signaller alarm bell.

Spring is connected by wire 8 to conduct- `ingrod m. and by wire 9 to conducting-rod 'a throufrh the magnet j of the lifting or restoring mechanism. before described and with the other pole of the battery 13 by the Wire 12 from rod n. The last contact-spring is connected by Wire il to rodv n and includes the particular plate-dropping magnet h operated by that particular button, and said rod n is connected to the opposite .pole of the battery by Wire l2, as before described.

The contacts 5 of all the push-buttons are connected to the metal conducting-bar m at the back of the case, and said rod and all of said contacts are connected to the ,magnetj by single-Wire 9, which Wire 9 also connectsv said magnet torod n, and consequently to battery. All ot the wires from the plate- -zlropping magnets are connected to coriducting-rod n, as set forth, thereby reduci-ng number of connections to battery. Hence when the push-rod ot the push button is pressed in slowly the first two springs It and 5 will engage, thereby clcsin g a circuit through the alarin-bell-operating mechanism, sound# ing the bell, and the battery and the lifting er restoring magnet thereby restoring all levers to their raised or normal position, and as the push-rod of the push-button is still 'further pressed in all the spring-contacts eugage, thereby closing a circuit through the operating-magnet for dropping the card of that push-button, thereby releasing the cardlever and displaying the card represented on said pushbutton, as the magnet y' is of greater resistance than magnets 7i.

it is obvious that instead of having the pushbuttons in the circuits located on the annunciator they can be located at any distance from the annunciator. v

It should be understood that When the pushbuttons or circuit-closers Vare located elsewhere (seev Figs. l, 2, and 3) than on the annunciator-case itself no circuit-closers are located on the case. The circuit-closers are shown on the case in Figs. 4 and 5 merely to fully illustrate the invention and show the specific wiring, (not shown in Figs. l and 2,) and which is substantially the saine whether the circuit is closed at the case or in a rooin.

The annunciator might be located in the office of a hotel and push-buttons to operate the saine located in every room in the building, the circuits being substantially the same as herein described. Vlhe push-battons are not usually on the case, as shown.

detachably receive and hold a card upon which is Written an order or orders or cerj tain information, dac., and a corresponding button is provided with the saine order or in- The card-holders are preferably made to a Y iedere intended for use in hotelsis adapted forothcr uses, as an electric novelty to attract attention, sucli in railroad stat-ions or cars t0 answer questions pertaining to the arrival and departure of trains or other information, each button. being provided with a question such as lsltrain No. 42 east on' timet and the card-holder controlled by such button will carry a card upon which the person in charge has written the answer to the question. In factany information concerning the trains can be placed on the holders and the corresponding-questions placed on corresponding buttons; also, it can be used on railroadlocomotives and connected through the train; so that the conductor can issue certain orders to engineer, and can be placed on cars to give passengers any information whatsoever, as stops, connections with other trains, changes, dre. It is of great value in factories or other places Where the noise is so great that orders cannot be given orally for use by forem'en in .dictating orders or communicating with their workmen, and also in auctioneering-houses to show bids as made. \Vl1en used. in a hotel, each room is provided With such ani annunciator, and all the room-annunciators connect with and operate on the single office-annua` ciator. lt can also be used as a dictator in ordering anything at a restaurant or other place or for awakening hotel guests. At the same time that the bell is rung a card is dropped to show time.

Fig. l shows diagrammatically un operating-circuit for a card-holder in the ollcc and a card-holder in the room. lYhen the particular room-button-cS is pressed, a circuit is closed over Wires 2O and 2l. and through battery 19, ringing bell (I and actuating magnet /1 to drop card-holder f', and vwhen the oliice' Wishes to send particular message to .room button c5 is pressed, closing circuit through Wires 21 22, battery, and actuating-hell, and dropping particular card in the room." Each particular card of each room-annnnciatoi' is connected with the ofilceannunciator 'by a suitable circuit, such as shown.V ily-means of this arrangement of Figs l messagcsjcun be transmitted to oflicewand cani.lidiar-nue diately acknowledged, or messages can be seni; from ofiice to rooms. Y

Fig. 3 discloses the simplest circuit. possible between each room -button and actuatingmagnet of card-holder controlled thereby, and also shows the circuit'for restoringthe drops.

Fig. 2 shows another arrangement et circuits Whereby when any button e ina room is pressed to display a particular card in the ofiice the bell in' the office will be sounded, the card will be displayed, and another card will be displayed, indicating the room from which the signal Was transmitted. rlhis diagram shows the circuits for operating two cards'at the office from two rooms, and also the circuits for dropping the cards, carrying' numbers of such rooms when an order is tran mitted from the room.

IOO

Z4 and lrespectively indicate .theV electromagnetic devices at the oice which display thenumber ot'v each room. Each magnet of such room-displaying device has a normallyopen operating-circuit 23 extending to its particular room and including a battery 24', and having each card-dropping' button c3 in the room included'in shunt-circuits 25, as

shown, so that said circuit 23 will be closed and the room-number card dropped Wherever any button c3 in that `room is closed rto drop any order-card. In--this arrangement the operatingmagnet of each card-dropping -arrangement is provided with a normally-open operating-circuit26, extending to every room and having a push-button c3 in a shunt-circuit 27 in each roomy.. It is obvious that this question-or button can be applied to many uses not herein mentioned.

l. In combinationga drop and its controlling-magnet, restoring or raising mechanism for the drops and a controlling-magnet therel 'forfan electric alarm, a battery, a circuitcloser for each drophavingthree contacts,

and the circuits arranged so that when said l contacts of @circuit-closer are brought into contact the restoring mechanism will be actuated and then the particular drop will be displayed and the alarm sounded, asset forth.

2. In an annunciator, the combination of the swinginglevers provided with card-plates at theirouter ends having beveledshonldersat `their upper'edges, Vthe drop-controlling'magf nets, the armatures therefor. mounted above. their respective drops and having beveled shoulders 'at ytheir lower free ends to engage said shoulders of the plates and uphold them, each armatureyieldingly held in-its normal position, holding up its drop by a spring, the

vertically-swinging restoring-levers provided with rests at their outer ends to hold said drops when lowered, and a single electromagnetic means connected to ythe opposite ends of all of said levers to swing them tol gether to restore all of the drops and controlling-circuits, substantially as described.

3. The combinatiomin an annunciator, of the vertically-swinging drops and their controlling-magnets, the vertically-swinging restoring-levers carrying rods atl their front ends forming' stops for said drops, and a restoringsolenoid and its core connected to the rear ends of-said restoring-levers to sw1ngl the front ends of all the levers up and restore all of the drops and controlling-circuits,substantially as described.

4. In an annunciator, the combination of .the case, the drops and their controlling-magvnets,the restoring mechanism comprising a single magnet and-swinging levers, the electric alarm', a circuit-closer for each drop, comprising' three separated spring-plates and l means to pressthem together, the conductingrods mma connection from a plate of each circuit-closer through the alarm, battery, and to rod-n, a connection from rod An to the restoring-magnet and from' the restorlng-magnet to rod m, a connection from another plate of each circuit-,closer to rod m, and a'conn-ection from another plate of each circuit-closer through its respective drop-magnet t'o rod n., asset forth. l

A.ln testimony that VI claim the foregoingas, my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` v DAVID HEINEMAN.

{Witnessesz y ANDREW J. Ross,

- v NVM. R. COLLINS. 

